Apparatus for decorating glassware



Jan. 12, 1937. E. M. HOMMEL APPARATUS FOR DECORATING GLASSWARE Filed Aug. 28, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Jan. 12, 1937; E. M. HOMMEL 2,067,447

APPARATUS FOR DECORATING GLASSWARE Filed Aug. 28, 19:54

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I H a 5mm, w

114' 'ITORNEYS Jan. 12, 1937. E. M. HOMMEL 2,067,447

APPARATUS FOR DECORATING GLASSWARE Filed Aug. 28, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR A; ORNEY6 Patented Jan. 12, 1937 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR DECORATING GLASSWARE Ernest M. Hommel, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to The 0. Hommel Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 2 8,

- ing surface decoration to round articles. I

have made practical use of the invention in applying to drinking glasses and to other substantially cylindrical articles of glassware lines of vitrifiable decorative material, adapted by firing .to be integrated with the underlying glass and to form ornamental bands uponthe finished article. In such use I shall describe the invention, and then indicate its generalv applicability.

Fig. I is a view in plan of the apparatus of the invention, showing an article in course of receiving the desired application. Fig. '11 is a view in vertical and longitudinal section, on the plane indicated bythe line 11-11, Fig. I. Fig. III is a fragmentary view in end elevation; and Fig. IV is a similar view, illustrating a variation. Figs. V and VI are views corresponding to Figs. I and II and illustrating amodification. Fig; VII is a view of the. modified machine of Figs. V and VI in vertical and transverse section, on the plane indicated at VII-.VII, Fig. VI. Fig. VIII is a fragmentary view in plan and to larger scale, but

otherwise corresponding to Fig. I, and illustrating certain features of elaboration. Fig. IX is a View in vertical and longitudinal section, on the plane indicated at IX-IX, Fig. VIII, and showing, ad-

ditionally, a piece of work in place in the apparatus. Fig. X is a view in vertical'and transverse section, on the plane indicated at X--X, Fig. VIII; and here also a piece of work is shown in place. Fig. XI is a fragmentary view in transverse and vertical section, and illustrates a further variation in detail. Fig. EH1 is a view comparable with Fig. I, illustrating another modification in the apparatus. Fig. XIII is, a sectional view, taken on the plane XlII-'-XIII of Fig. )QZI. Figs. XIV and XV each show a drinking glass in side elevation, and illustrate several forms in which the decoration may be applied. And-Fig.

XVI is a view comparable with Fig. X, illustratthe article on cooling carries the desired bands of ornament.

In the apparatus as shown in Fig. I, four such 1934, Serial b; 741,761 (or. 91-42) bars I are shown; and, comparing Figs. I and II, it will be seen that they extend in approximately horizontal position. They are, however, inclined slightly downward from left-to-right, to facilitate the rolling of the articlewhen resting upon them. 5 The article itself is indicated at G; it is shown in left-to-right progress, and in Fig. I appear the lines 2 of material that are picked up from the bars I as the article progresses, and gradually laid around the circumference'of the article.

The article is here shown to be truly cylindrical, 'and in such case, if only it be kept in direct course, the line 2 will be laid with precision, in a plane exactly perpendicular to the axis of the article. Such articles, however, are commonly of slightly tapering form (drinking glasses, for example), and in any case stops 3 are conveniently provided, to prevent longitudinal displacement of the rolling article; and the article being so restrained, the lines 2 will be laid with precision. Inasmuch, however, as the bands, in case the article'is of tapering form, and in case there are more bands than one, will be unequal in circumferential extent, there will necessarily be slippage between the article and one or more of the bars as the article rolls. Such slippage, however, will not ,defeat the end in view nor prevent the attainment of the desired result.

The bars I are in the organization of the apparatus associated with a container for a quantity of material to be applied, and the organization is such that by manipulation the faces'of the bars may be repeatedly coated with the material. The material may be understood to be a dispersion in water of finely powdered glass, or mixture of materials, of which the chief component is lead borate, and the dispersion may be understood to possess the consistency of a thick soup--of slow fluidity. I

As seen in Fig. I, the bars I are secured at their ends to cross-bars 4, 5 and form with these cross-bars a rigid frame. The cross-bar 4 at one end of the frame is trunnioned upon a horizontal bed-plate 6; in the bed-plate is set a tank 1, adapted to contain a pool or bath of coating material of proper surface extent; and the arrangement and organization are such that the trunnioned frame may be swung, as indicated in Fig. II, from the full-line, erect, and operative position on the left, to the broken-line inverted position on the righta position of immersion in the bath of coating material.

The tank I may by partitions 8 be divided into compartments-adapted to contain separate baths of coating material of different colors, with which separately colored baths the bars severally cooperate.

The stops 3 already mentioned, for preventing longitudinal displacement. of the article when being rolled upon the bars, are conveniently mounted upon bed-plate 6; and may be made adjustable, for accommodating the apparatus to articles of diiferent sizes. Adjustability is indicated by bolts 9, securing the stops in place, that pass through elongate slots III in the plates II from which the stops rise.

Operation consists in the alternate coating of the bars with material to be applied, by swinging them to positions of immersion in the bath of material, and then, after restoring them to normal position (that indicated in full lines, Fig. II), rolling of articles from left-to-right along the coated bars. If the articles be cylindrical inform or conical, the transverse arrangement of the bars as shown in Figs. I-III s'ufiices; but if the article he of a contour that is curved in three dimensions and three or more bands of decoration are to be formed upon it, the bars I will be grouped to afiord multiple points of contact along such curved contour. In Fig. IV the bars I are shown grouped transversely of their extent to a troughwill be understood, there will be slippage be tween the rolling sphere and some or all of the bars I,b ut, again, Without disadvantage.

In the modification shown inFigs. V-VII the tank 7, instead of being arranged to one side, is arranged directly beneath the position of bars I when being rolled upon by the work G; and the bars are mounted in or form part of a frame that, instead of swinging to one side, has vertical movement, to eifect repeated submergence and repeated coating of the faces of the bars. The bars are carried on vertically reciprocable rods I2 that rise through the tank.

In this case the bars are indicated to be ad-- justable vertically in their individual positions in the assembly. Such adjustability is indicated in the nuts I3, I l, by which the rods IZare secured to a reciprocable cross-head I5. By such means either the transversely level assembly of Fig. III or the transversely trough-shaped assembly of Fig. IV, or any other particular grouping may be established at will.

In Figs. VIII-X rails I6 are shownwhich, organized with the parts already described, sup port the article G during the initial part of its range of rolling through the apparatus. These rails at their delivery ends are tapered, as indicated at I60, Fig. IX, so as to bring the rolling article smoothly and easily to contact with the bars I. The rails are widened attheir bases and are set in grooves in' the bed of the machine, and are adjustable in such setting in the direction of the extent of the bars. By such means the particular point in the extent of bars I at which the rolling article actually makes contact with the bars may be accurately determined; and the distance from that point to the farther ends of bars I being by adjustment made precisely equal to the circumferential extent of the article, the line of applied material may be exactly a complete ring, with neither gap nor overlap at the meeting of the ends.

Figs. IX and. X show that the bars I, rising .letter A on the glass G.

upon legs I I from cross bars 4 and 5, may, by making the legs telescopic, be capable of such variety in transverse groupings as is indicated in Figs. III and IV, or any grouping suited to articles of particular and special shapes. Indeed, as shown in Fig. XVI, the telescopic mounting of the bars I may include springs IIa in such with a plurality of faces of different Widths.-

Thus. strips of material of diiferent widths may be laid at will upon the articles that pass through the apparatus.

In Figs. XI and XVI, I have shown the bars to be of circular cross section. I have found that from round bars (the coating material having been properly prepared) strips 2 may be laid on the article with precision, and of uniform width; and I have further found that, byusing circular bars of different sizes, strips of diiferent widths may be laid down. I

In applying narrow bands, the decorating bars I are made of correspondingly small cross-section, and in very fine work the bars become wires, drawn taut between the frame elements t and"5. In case relatively wide bandsare desired, two or more of the bars I may, advantageously, be arranged in close sideby-side arrangement, instead of providing a single barof the required width. Thus, many variations in the width of the bands applied may be made without the need of a great number of interchangeable bars.

Figs. XILXIV serve to show that vertical partitioned. The several bars Ia-are united at their feet to the spaced-apart beams 40, which beams are integrated at their oppositeends by the cross arms 4, 5, already described. The guides 30. afford horizontal and lateral support for the glass G, and, as the glass is rolled along the supports, its surface in successive intervals makes contact with the coated bars I. Longitudinal bands 2a, rather than the circumferential bands 2, are thus applied. It will be observed that the bars I or Ia may be fashioned in the form of letters-in Fig. XII I have indicated how the bars Ia may be fashioned, to provide the The bands marked upon the glass need not be continuous, but may be interrupted, as shown in Fig. XIV; to such end the surfaces of the bars Ia are recessed at Ib. Again, the bars I a may be arranged obliquely of the path which the article to be decorated follows through the apparatus, and such arrangement is effective to provide helical bands upon the article, the bands 2b on the glass G", Fig. XV, being illustrative. I contemplate that mechanical means may be employed, to roll the articles across or along the decorating bars; the art is familiar with such means, and their organization with my apparatus is simply a matter for the engineer.

- The apparatus has been described as suitable 1. Apparatus for applying a band of decoration to the surface of an article, including means presenting a supply of coating material and a bar movable between service position and a position of contact with such supply of coating material, the bar when in service position adapted to sustain the contact of an article rolled upon it.

2. Apparatus for applying a band of decoration to the surface of an article, including a container for fluid coating material and a bar movable between service position and a position of immersion in a bath of coating material in such container, the bar when in service position adapted to sustain the contact of an article rolled upon it.

3. Apparatus for applying a band of decoration to the surface of an article, including a container for fluid coating material and a bar swinging on a support between an upright service position and a position of inversion in a bath of coating material in such container, the bar when in upright service position adapted to sustain the contact of an article rolled upon it.

4. In apparatus for applying a band of decoration to the surface of an article, a bar adapted .to receive a film of coating material and to sustain an article rolled upon it, and a track arranged adjacent the bar and adapted to sustain an article rolled upon it and forming with the said bar a continuous support for a rolling article, said track standing above said bar, and sustaining the rolling article free of contact with the bar until the rolling article advances beyond the end of the track, the said track being adjustable longitudinally of the bar, whereby the article-sustaining reach of the bar may be varied.

5. In apparatus for applying a band of decoration to the surface of an article, a frame, a bar rotatable in said frame adapted to receive a film of coating material and to sustain an article rolled upon it, said bar being provided with a plurality of faces of unequal width whereby an article rolled upon it may take from it by contact with it a band of coating material of one or another predetermined width.

6. In apparatus for applying to an article of glassware a band of decorating material, the combination of a container for a fluid body of said material, a frame including a bar mounted upon a support and adapted to swing between an upright service position and a position of inversion in a bath of decorating material in said container, said bar when in upright service position adapted to make contact with an article of glassware rolled upon it and to yield a coating of said decorating material to the so rolled article.

7. Apparatus for applying decoration to the surface of an article, including a way through which to roll such article, a plurality of bars extending transversely of said way and in spacedapart relation longitudinally thereof, means presenting a supply of decorating material, said bars being movable relatively to said means, whereby to receive coatings of decorating material from said supply, said bars being adapted, upon the rolling advance of said article through said way, to transfer said decorating material in predetermined pattern to the surface of said article.

8. In apparatus for applying a plurality of bands of viscous material to the surface of an article, the combination of a frame, a plurality of rigid bars severally adjustable in the frame and adapted to form a support of variable crosssectional contour for an article rolled upon such support, and means including a container for a supply of such viscous material mounted in definite relation with respect to said bars, said bars being movable relatively to said means for receiving flooded coatings of the material, whereby said bars deliver to an article rolled upon them heavy films of such material.

9. In apparatus for applying to an article a closed band of decoration, said apparatus including a rigid bar adapted to sustain the contact of such article rolled upon it, means including a container for a supply of viscous decorating material mounted in definite relation with respect to said bar,'said bar being movable relatively to said means for receiving a flooded coating of the material, said bar being adapted to yield to the so-rolled article a closed band of such viscous material, and a stop extending adjacent said bar and adapted to be abutted by the article rolled thereupon and by such abutment to prevent transverse movement of said article as it is rolled upon the bar.

ERNEST M. HOMMEL. 

